Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos
Slow-cooked in earthy, smoky, Mexican flavors, Chicken Tinga Tacos are tender, saucy and perfectly spicy. Big on flavor, these Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos are great to serve to company yet easy enough to call a weeknight meal.
Big Flavor, Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos
It doesn’t get much more flavorful than this friends. Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos bring the WOW FACTOR to the table. I served these on Cinco de Mayo and thank goodness I had leftovers to enjoy thereafter. These left me daydreaming about tacos on Seis de Mayo!
Chicken Tinga is Mexican Shredded Chicken in a sauce made from tomatoes, chipotle chilis in adobo and sliced onions. I love eating it as a taco, wrapped in a corn tortilla. I simply serve my tacos with Queso Fresca, Fresh Cilantro, Diced White Onions and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Think Street Tacos.
Avocado Slices or even my Simply Irresistible Salsa Verde would be great additions to these tacos, too.
Chipotle in Adobo
The star of the show in this dish are Chipotles in Adobo. You can prepare your own, but it’s laborious. Cans of Chipotle in Adobo are readily available in most grocery stores. You are likely to find this magical can-of-goodness in the international foods section.
What is Chipotle in Adobo? Chipotle in Adobo are smoked and dried jalapeños that have been rehydrated and canned in a purée of tomato, vinegar, garlic, and spices. It is a flavorful can of peppers and sauce that pack a punch! You can remove the seeds from the peppers to reduce the heat. Or simply leave them whole to enjoy the full experience!
Nutrition of Jalapenos
It’s fairly hard to eat enough jalapenos to make a significant impact on your nutrition. So this is one of those ingredients that is important to include in your diet as it contributes to the flavor factor of a dish. Note that these mighty peppers are actually a good source of Vitamin A, Copper and Vitamin C. But to achieve the serving size of 1/4 Cup is a challenge. Eating 1/4 Cup of Jalapeno slices in one sitting feels like a dare to me. I once tried a teaspoon of Black Mamba Hot Sauce (I digress) and it left my ears burning for half an hour. Literally, burning ears! Like a cartoon character! Ha!
Chili Pepper Nutrition
Vitamin C – important in wound healing and immune function.
Copper – copper is a critical trace element, important for strong bones and healthy neurons (basic units of the nervous system that transmit information).
There are also health benefits attributed to capsaicin (the chemical substance that puts the “spice” in spicy peppers). Capsaicin contains anti-inflammatory qualities (I know, that seems contradictory) that are believed to have heart-healthy benefits for adults who have low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol!
The Secret Sauce
Like so many culinary masterpieces, Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos are prepared with a Secret Sauce. The sauce is comprised of sliced onions, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, chicken broth and Chipotle in Adobo. I have prepared this dish using tomato sauce and diced tomatoes (using whatever tomato products I had in my pantry). However, I found the tomato paste lends the richest flavor to this dish.
After preparing the sauce, I spoon it over simply seasoned chicken breasts. Adding a splash of chicken broth I set the slow cooker on low and forget it for three hours. Though it’s hard to forget because the smell will be intoxicating!
Once it’s done cooking, I shred the chicken with a fork, adding it back to the pot to combine with all the cooking juices. It’s ready to serve!
Enjoy! And if you like the recipe, please share on Pinterest, or snap a photo of your creation and tag me on Twitter, or Instagram!
Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts
- 1 tsp + Kosher Salt divided
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 White Onion, thinly sliced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- ¾ tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 can Chipotle in Adobo peppers sliced, seeds removed if desired
- 4 oz Tomato Paste
- ⅔ Cup Chicken Broth divided
- Corn Tortillas for serving
- Diced White Onion for topping
- Cilantro Leaves for topping
- Queso Fresca for topping
- Lime Wedges for topping
- Salsa for topping
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of a large slow cooker in a single layer.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until soft. About 5 minutes.
- Add the cumin, oregano, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and stir. Add 1 can of the chipotle in adobo, including the sauce (slice the peppers before incorporating). Stir in about 4 oz of tomato paste, or about ⅔ of the can, if using a canned product. Pour in ⅓ Cup of Chicken Broth and bring to a simmer, stirring to combine all the ingredients.
- Turn off the heat, and pour sauce over the seasoned chicken breasts.
- Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 3 hours.
- Once cooking has completed, shred the chicken with 2 forks, and return to the slow cooker, stirring to combine with sauce/cooking liquid.
- Warm corn tortillas per the package instructions. Spoon chicken tinga into tacos and finish with your favorite toppings – queso fresca, cilantro, onions, lime wedges.
